News Archive

Our hours of operation at the St. Johns Depot have been greatly reduced. While we still have working hours where we work on the layout, restoration of the cars and the like, we also have left open the invitation to others to allow us to show off our depot.

As the year draws to a close we can look back over the calendar with some degree of satisfaction. At some point we will explore this in detail, but until then may all who are involved in CNR activities wish all of you out there a most JOYOUS AND HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON. We will look forward to seeing many of you next year with new adventures and new tales.

Trains, whether they’re full-size or model HOs, capture the imagination of folks young and old. Railroads are part of America’s history – perhaps not as evident in today’s landscape, but never forgotten.

In case no one has noticed, let me tell you that it has been a little cold. Now here in St. Johns the snow depth is little behind normal, but the cold is, well, where the cold should be. This has lead me to not call for any work days, thus there is no progress being made, although our Jerry Banks Layout chief, Doug, has completed his part of the doing the lake.

As I stare out the window I see ice sparkling on the tree limps, I see steam coming up from the street, as the bright sun shines through the ice on the limps causing drips of water and warms the street to the point of water vapor wisping down the street in the cold wind. Such confused messages.

It was anticipated that we would be working on the caboose (Scrappy by name), but the weather got in the way for early morning hammers and grinders.

Time has marched on, May is nearly here, the weather has started it warm cycle and thoughts of opening the St. Johns Depot and cars are glowing with excitement. The GRO is planned for May 1 and plans are evolving.
The RR work crew has been spotted doing what looks like a dance around the caboose, threatening to do some real work on the caboose called, "Scrappy". The siding appears to have been removed revealing ages of rot. This rot is being removed and transported elsewhere-thanks to the city of St. Johns.

The work crew of the CNR has been working on the restoration of the caboose as weather has permitted. They have reached a point where they can start putting the siding on the car, which will give it back it's real caboose look. The floor has had it's rotted parts removed and new ones laid down. Of course the public is not aware of that kind of work being done so it often would appear that nothing is being done, so doing the outside work will show that progress is being made.

The St. Johns Depot has now seen two Tuesday activities go off with great fun for all participants. The first was on the 19th. It was a Bike Parade lead by the St. Johns Police Dept. The parade was preceded by giving away two bikes that were donated by Turning Point. The SJPD officers supervised the kids through a serpentine exercise course while the adults helped and watched their youngsters weave themselves and their bikes through a course of about six traffic cones. Then everyone gathered on the hot, dry, brown grass for some old fashion games that included many water balloons.

TTT, that is Tuesday Together Time, ended with the "Bubble Man" blowing a million bubbles while the audience of tens, ran about popping the floating spheres of rainbows. Telling stories and leading singing all had fun. It was the sixth Tuesday which included marital arts, remote airplane demonstration, zoomba dancing, and several family centered activities.

These were all activities planned by Jenny McCampbell to attract families down to the depot so that families who not normally think of the depot as a fun place to be will be able to experience one more facet of St. Johns culture.

Money raising has been a major feature of this past few months and it appears to have been a fair success. Along with donation bottles set around the county, there was a Hot Dog and Brat tent set up during the St. Johns Mint Festival. Actually the food tent was set up inside the beer tent fence area. The downtown management board sponsored the beer tent and gambling tent on city owned depot property. The mint festival was held in the large public park as it does annually.